Yazd is the third largest producer of saffron in Iran

Yazd is the third largest producer of saffron in Iran

With an annual production of three tons, Yazd province is the third largest saffron producer in the country, after Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan provinces.

The area under saffron cultivation in Yazd province is 600 hectares.

The main planting and development areas for this crop are in Tabas city and the Dastgerdan and Dehuk districts, where favorable growing conditions and the efforts of local farmers have supported saffron cultivation in these areas since crop year 1390-91 (2011-2012).

Part of the saffron grown in the province is processed in these areas, while the rest is exported in the form of flowers to neighboring provinces. Fluctuating prices, a lack of packaging infrastructure, and limited facilities for producing high-quality corms (the saffron bulbs) remain the sector’s biggest challenges.

Saffron has traditionally been used as a mild sedative and appetite stimulant. Some clinical studies suggest saffron supplementation may modestly help lower blood pressure and support memory in people with mild cognitive impairment, though evidence for cancer or heart-disease prevention so far comes only from early lab and animal research rather than human trials (Setayesh & Ashtary-Larky et al., 2021, Nutrients, DOI: 10.3390/nu13082736; Ayati, Yang, Ayati, Emami & Chang, 2020, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, DOI: 10.1186/s12906-020-03102-3). As with any supplement, saffron should not be treated as a substitute for medical treatment or professional advice.

Saffron is one of the most suitable crops for low-water areas. In Yazd province, the harvest begins in the second half of November and continues until the end of December.

Yazd province is the fourth largest province in the country, with an area of about 75,000 square kilometers, located in the center of the Iranian plateau on the edge of the desert and the Lut plains.